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Icelandic Video Art

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Icelandic Video Art

Video and text by luke kurtis.

I visited Iceland for the first time in October 2013. From the crisp blanket of ice atop Sandkluftavatn to the misty veil tumbling down Skógafoss, and even the crystal clear 2°C waters of Silfra—a snorkeling experience my mind nor my body will ever forget—I had a good first taste of the country. But as much as Iceland is synonymous with outdoor adventure—and for good reason—I found this land of fire and ice just as abundant in art.

Having ventured to Viðey to take part in Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower lighting—another experience etched in both mind and body—I craved a sampling of native Icelandic contemporary art. Reykjavik Art Musuem’s Hafnarhús proved just the ticket. I was pleased to find Icelandic Video Art from 1975 – 1990 on view. As a video artist myself, this seemed the perfect ticket towards a glimpse into Iceland’s take on this new media genre. The small installation features a diverse sampling of early video art practice in Iceland. By-and-large the artists are not well known outside their home country and web searches for their names produce almost no helpful results. What a crime this seems to me. And so I went into the editing room and put together my footage of the show to help remedy that problem. Through my own video, I hope to expose video art fans to these Icelandic works and, perhaps, contribute to a new international dialogue about new media work.

luke kurtis is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in New York City’s Greenwich Village.